Somehow, the Word ‘Peace’ Got Lost

14 recs, and 47 replies..

I mean, peace doesn't blow stuff up reel gud, and you don't get to style yourself a war correspondent by covering peace. Our country, leader of the world, doesn't spend half its budget on peace, and peace doesn't write fat defense contracts. If you advocate for peace, you're immediately educated by the acolytes of the High Church of Redemptive Violence that the world is a very dangerous place, and if our country doesn't blow a bunch of people to smithereens, they might blow us to smithereens. And even if they can't, they might, and it's better to be "safe" than sorry.

Peace is for wimps and sissies. War is for manly men, armed to the teeth, who march shoulder to shoulder, blowing away women, kids and houses on command without remorse. We call that strength in this country, and we admire and celebrate it in every way possible, at all times and in all places. Any place showing insufficient celebration is itching for a visit from the devotees of the High Church, whose faith is our national religion, not to be questioned or doubted. It is our reason for existence, and the nation would vanish if it doesn't vanquish.

as I will be voting for drone strikes as opposed to psychos who would start a war with Iran.


war is the new normal, well.. not so new at all actually..
but I do remember shaking (spoiler) Eugene McCarthy's hand once a long time ago,
also supported (wacko) Kucinich more recently.

http://news.change.org/stories/the-u-s-department-of-peace-a-brief-history-and-bright-future

1783: George Washington called for a proper “Peace Establishment”.

1792: Benjamin Banneker and Dr. Benjamin Rush call for an “Office of Peace” with peace education in all schools.

1925: Carrie Chapman Catt of the National League of Women Voters at the “Cause and Cure for War” Conference, publicly suggested, a Cabinet level “Department of Peace" and “Secretary of Peace” be established.

1926/1927: Kirby Page author of "A National Peace Department" wrote, published and distributed the first proposal for a Cabinet level "Department of Peace" and "Secretary of Peace".

1936: Dr. Frederick Kettner publishes essay “The Need for a Secretary of Peace”.

1943 -1968: Eighty-eight Congressional bills are introduced calling for a Department of Peace in the House or Senate.

1961: President John F. Kennedy launches the Peace Corps.

1969: Senator Vance Hartke (IL), and Rep. Seymour Halpern (NY), introduce a Bill for a Department of Peace with a Peace Academy.

1984: The U.S. Institute of Peace created (its beautiful new building is currently under construction).

1993: President Bill Clinton launches Americorps.

2001, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2009: Rep. Dennis Kucinich (OH), and Sen. Mark Dayton (MN) introduce Bills calling for a Department of Peace (House-only since Sen. Dayton's announced retirement in 2005).

2010: The U.S. Department of Peace is named in Change.org's "Ideas for Change in America."



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http://www.betterworld.net/quotes/peacedepartment-quotes.htm

* "It is clear that military force and our policy of preemption are alone insufficient to make us safe. But help is on the way. Legislation has been proposed to create a US Department of Peace. In the propsed Department of Peace it would organize our present system into one conscious effort to improve humanity in achieving peace, where true safety lies."
-- Walter Cronkite

* On the whole our armed services have been doing pretty well in the way of keeping us defended, but I hope our State Department will remember that it is really the department of achieving peace.
-- Eleanor Roosevelt

* As the War-Office of the United States was established in the time of peace, it is equally reasonable that a Peace-Office should be established in the time of war. -- Benjamin Rush

* Citizens across the United States are now uniting in a great cause to establish a Department of Peace, seeking nothing less than the transformation of our society, to make non-violence an organizing principle, to make war archaic through creating a paradigm shift in our culture for human development, for economic and political justice and for violence control.
-- Dennis Kucinich